Alfreton musician in the mix for public vote on Y Not festival line-up

An up and coming Alfreton musician is in the mix for a spot at one of the UK’s hottest summer festivals, if he can win the public vote.

Tom Shawcroft has been shortlisted by the organisers of Y Not festival, taking place in the Derbyshire Dales village of Pikehall, July 26-29.

He said: “I only started performing in February, so the opportunity to play one of the fastest-growing festivals in the UK would be phenomenal.

“To say it would be a dream come true might be a bit of a cliché, but it’s what you set out to do: playing to a big audience who are perfectly in tune with the kind of music you make. It would be my first festival, but I hope not my last.”

Now 20, Tom’s is not strictly an overnight success, as he has been making music since he was 11, honing a sound which draws inspiration from indie and electronica.

He said: “I’d put out an album which was getting a lot of airplay on BBC Radio Nottingham, Derby and Leicester. It’s raw, not ‘pop perfection’ but it is radio-friendly.

“I got invited to a showcase at Rough Trade in Nottingham presented by Y Not and it went really well. Since then I’ve played more gigs around the city, and my first London show with Big Narstie last month.”

He added: “The BBC used one of my songs in a film which opened the Biggest Weekend festival in May as well, and I’ll be playing again in London this summer for some possible record labels, so things are getting quite interesting.”

Tom has also been busy with a new job working on music projects at a youth centre, while finishing the final year of a youth work degree.

He has plenty of insight to pass on, having already been tapped by Diabetes UK to make videos for people learning to live with the condition he has had since he was 13.

He said: “I’ve tried to give personal advice. School was a battle, learning to manage diabetes at the same time as everything else you go through. I used music as a way to cope and I came out of it alright.”